Chicago Maritime Museum
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Commerce and the Waterways

​​THE VITALITY OF MARITIME COMMERCE​- ​​"THE BUSIEST Small RIVER IN THE WORLD."

The city's strategic location is important to Chicago's rich maritime history. Chicago grew from a portage for fur traders into one of the world's leading ports for lumber and grain Connecting the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River system via the Illinois & Michiagan (I&M) Canal in 1848 was key to early trading and to today's more substantial commerce. The history of commercial boating is seen in the development of vessels from the canoe to larger wooden boats,  schooners, and ultimately steel ships driven by paddlewheel and then steam. 

To alleviate growing congestion on the Chicago River, a deep-water port was built 20 miles south of Chicago at Lake Calumet. In 1869, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers first began to transform e the Calumet River into an effective harbor.  George Pullman’s decision to locate his model town and car works near Lake Calumet and the giant North Chicago Rolling Mill’s move to the mouth of the Calumet River, signaled the emergence of the region as an industrial center. The permanent reversal of the Chicago River in 1900 encouraged additional growth of the area's waterways and rivers commerce. By 1906, 200-foot-long schooners gave way to 600-foot-long steel-hulled ships. Today, maritime commerce continues to be a vital part of the regional economy.
Indian & French Fur Traders
Chicago as a Trading Post
Illinois & Michigan Canal
Grain and Lumber Trade
City of Bridges
Tugboats
Steamboats and Steel Hulls
Chicago Shipbuilding
USS Michigan and Merchant
Christmas Tree Ships
Reversing the River's Flow
Calumet Sag Channel
Making A Modern Port
Whalebacks and 600 Footers
Chicago's Modern Port
St Lawrence Seaway
Maritime Commerce Today
Chicago Maritime Museum is a 501(C)(3) Nonprofit registered in the US under Tax ID 36-3205719
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Chicago Maritime Museum®. ​Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Photo used under Creative Commons from davidwilson1949
  • Home
  • VISIT
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Events
  • SUPPORT US
    • Donate >
      • Donate to the CMM Recovery Fund
      • Donate to the CMM General Fund
      • Sponsor
    • Join
    • Volunteer
  • EDUCATION PROGRAMS
    • MODEL BUILDING >
      • WOOD CARVING CLASS
      • MODEL BUILDING CLASS
      • SHIP-IN-A-BOTTLE CLASS
    • SCHOOL VISITS
    • CHICAGO HISTORY CURRICULA
  • History
    • Commerce and the Waterways
    • Military Training
    • Shipwrecks
    • Recreation and Tourism
  • Collections
    • Artifacts >
      • Lyle Gun
      • Wells Light
    • Canoes >
      • Tete-de-Boule Birchbark
      • Canadian Birchbark Canoe
      • Eskimo Caribou Skin Kayak
      • Greenland Eskimo Kayak
      • U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Craft
    • Images >
      • Chicago Lighthouse
      • Lady Elgin
      • Rush Street Bridge
      • Fort Dearborn
    • Model Watercraft >
      • Le Griffon
      • Lady Elgin
      • Challenge
      • Subchaser 1943
      • USS Wolverine
  • News
  • Online Stories